Pubdate: Wed, 22 Nov 2006 Source: Victoria Times-Colonist (CN BC) Copyright: 2006 Times Colonist Contact: http://www.canada.com/victoriatimescolonist/ Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/481 Author: Peter O'Neil, CanWest News Service HEALTH MINISTER SAYS GOVERNMENT NEEDS MORE DATA ON INJECTION SITE OTTAWA -- Prime Minister Stephen Harper's government cut off federal funding for Vancouver's controversial supervised injection site for drug addicts because it wants a "diversity" of opinions before deciding on the facility's future, Health Minister Tony Clement said yesterday. Clement was responding to a report in the latest edition of the Canadian Medical Association Journal that summarized various research, indicating mostly positive outcomes, since the pilot project was initiated three years ago. The article said studies have shown a large reduction in public drug use, fewer incidents of addicts sharing syringes and discarding them in public places, and increased use of detoxification services in Vancouver. There has been no increase in drug-dealing around the facility in the city's Downtown Eastside. The federal government had contributed $1.5 million for research into the facility. But federal research funding was halted after Clement announced in a Sept. 1 news release that he wouldn't accept the recommendation from the B.C. government, the City of Vancouver, and Health Canada bureaucrats to extend the site's permit for another three years. Instead, he gave the facility a reprieve until Dec. 31, 2007, while noting that "initial research has raised questions" about the project. The government's Sept. 1 announcement followed the Canadian Police Association's conclusion that the facility has been unsuccessful. - --- MAP posted-by: Steve Heath